Social Commentary
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Caffeinated Politics Podcast: Politics, Power, And Public Trust
Trump’s Conduct and the Collapse of Norms A Historic Wave at the Governor’s Mansion Law, Stewardship, and the Long Arc of Accountability Continue reading
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The Real Danger Isn’t Turning On Red In Madison, It’s The Pedestrian Who Never Looks Up
Madison’s latest flirtation with banning right‑on‑red turns is the kind of well‑intentioned civic tinkering that sounds good in a mayoral campaign literature piece. But this idea misunderstands how people actually move through Madison’s downtown streets, how drivers behave, and how pedestrians should behave. Right‑on‑red is a logical, practical, efficient traffic valve that keeps intersections from… Continue reading
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How We Live Is What Endures
Several years ago, I sat through a funeral service that would have been comical had it not been about death. The person in the casket had been a philanderer of the first order, and his deeds had occurred over a long span of years. Much of the community knew about those deeds. But we were… Continue reading
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In Praise Of A Novel That Teaches Us To Care
It has been a dramatic week in Wisconsin, and now it is time for the weekend. Everyone needs a few days to unwind. Family is coming by our home Friday night, and rain is slated for much of Saturday. James and I have dinner with a friend on Sunday. In between all those reasons to… Continue reading
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Francesca Hong Thinks Sexual Exploitation Is A Career Ladder To Be Protected In Wisconsin
Let’s be honest, there is only so much that any Wisconsinite should be forced to endure during campaign season. (I am thinking that, and I love politics.) Today we are reminded of the travesty of Francesca Hong backing legislation that would decriminalize prostitution for adults and create a “sex workers’ bill of rights”. That comes… Continue reading
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The Last Uncomplicated Boys: What A 1934 Magazine Cover Says To 2026
For many months, I have had a photo from a 1934 Saturday Evening Post in my ‘to do’ pile, as I wanted to add some commentary on the painting’s innocence and place it in context with our helicopter censors, who would deem this unacceptable on a cover of a best-selling magazine today. Somehow, it would… Continue reading
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Local Leaders Say It Is “Increasingly Clear” Williamson Street Must Reopen To Traffic
The line from Madison Alder Davy Mayer and Dane County Board District Supervisor Yogesh Chawla jumps off the screen. It arrives at the opening of the sixth paragraph in their latest update to constituents about the growing issues at the corner of Williamson Street and Baldwin Street, where the police shooting of Corey Ruiz occurred… Continue reading
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The Price Of Gun Worship In Sentencing Colin Gray For Murder
There’s a moment in every American school shooting case when the country briefly pretends to be shocked. We clutch pearls, lower flags, and issue statements about another unthinkable tragedy, as though the tragedy weren’t entirely predictable. But this week in Georgia, the aftermath took a turn that should force us to confront the real problem.… Continue reading
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A Four‑Letter Word Won’t Fix A Broken Committee Hearing On Capitol Hill
There is a whole world of words available to anyone willing to open a dictionary, yet somehow Ohio Senator Sen. Bernie Moreno reached for the same tired expletive in Wednesday’s hearing on Capitol Hill. The latest example came during a Senate hearing called by Republicans to show they had hair on their chest as they… Continue reading
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Letter from Home: “Boy In Yellow Shirt, Uplift Of Talking To Strangers” 7/27/26
In these fraught, jangly‑edged times, the smallest conversations can remind us we’re still part of one another’s story. I write this column at a time of great angst in Madison following another police shooting (six blocks from where James and I live) and at a time when a series of hourly headlines from Washington alert… Continue reading
